Category: John of the Cross

Carmelite homily for Friday, February 14, 2020 – Lectionary 333 (Mark 7:31-37)

Today we have a man with a speech impediment being brought to Jesus and Jesus touches his ears and touches his tongue and says, “Ephphatha; be opened!”  How long did this man have this impediment?  Is it a good thing?  Yes!  It’s a good thing!  Because without this impediment this man would never have met Jesus.  Without this impediment he would not have had this good thing happen.  Without this impediment he wouldn’t have gone out and told everyone and become an evangelist.  Saint John of the Cross writes, “See that you are not saddened by the adversities of this world; for you do not see the good that they bring.”  I think that’s what’s happening in today’s Gospel. 

Today’s Gospel is a grim story – the execution or the beheading of John the Baptist.  And how did things get so bad?  Because it begins by saying that Herod liked to listen to John.  Well, Saint John of the Cross writes, “Through the practice of one virtue all the virtues grow; and through the indulgence of one vice all the vices and their effects grow.”  I think it’s as simple as that.  Herod didn’t get to this point like that – click.  I think it’s by step by step indulgence.  Nor do we get to heaven like that – click.  It’s by step by step practice of virtue.  That’s the call of today’s Gospel. 

Carmelite homily for Friday, January 31, 2020 – Lectionary 321 (Mark 4:26-34)

In today’s Gospel Jesus talks about seed.  It’s planted, it grows, it comes to harvest; the farmer doesn’t know how.  Or a mustard seed is planted and it grows so tall birds nest in its branches.  It happens naturally, automatically.  I think that’s the invitation of this Gospel today.  Saint John of the Cross writes, “To reach union with the wisdom of God one must advance by unknowing rather than by knowing.”  It may sound cryptic what he’s saying here, but I think it’s just to let life be natural – is what the invitation of today’s Gospel is, and the invitation of Saint John of the Cross.  

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, January 28, 2020 – Lectionary 318 (Mark 3:31-35)

In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “those who do the will of the Father are like brother and sister and mother to me.”  That means being familiar, being horizontal and not lording it over.  Saint John of the Cross writes, “Those attached to dignities are considered by God as mere slaves and not offspring.”  I think that’s the call of today’s Gospel: to see the world horizontally, not vertically; and to live horizontally, not vertically.  All are brothers and sisters in Jesus.  

Carmelite homily for Monday, January 27, 2020 – Lectionary 317 (Mark 3:22-30)

I like this line from Saint John of the Cross.  He writes, “Those who become angry over the sins of others and reprove these others angrily have set themselves up as lords of virtue.  Such conduct is contrary to spiritual meekness.”  I think that’s what we see in this Gospel.  There are ‘lords of virtue’ here who are condemning the Lord of Life as Beelzebub.  I think the call, if we’re going to be spiritual people, is to be spiritually meek, and not be condemnatory or judgmental.  Sometimes I think the one unforgiveable sin is when we ourselves are unforgiving.  I think Jesus sometimes means it when he says, “the measure you measure out will be measured back to you.”  Instead, let us search for and let us live in spiritual meekness. 

Carmelite homily for Thursday, January 23, 2020 – Lectionary 314 (Mark 3:7-12)

The best known poem of Saint John of the Cross is The Dark Night.   It begins, “One dark night, fired by love’s urgent longings – ahh, the sheer grace – I went out unseen, my house being now all stilled.”  In today’s Gospel we have far from a stilled house – big crowds pressing on Jesus.  He’s healing them.  He has to get into a boat so they don’t crush him.  They’re looking for something.  They’re looking for healing.  They’re looking for food.  They’re looking for health.  They’re looking for immediate needs met.  But I think Jesus goes and brings us all deeper than that.  Yeah, he’ll start there with all of us.  But I think if we stay with Jesus we start to look at not just immediate bodily needs being met, but spiritual needs, soul needs, eternal needs being met.  And that, in time, maybe we all will say individually and deeply and richly, “One dark night, fired by love’s urgent longings – ahh, the sheer grace – I went out unseen, my house being now all stilled.”  

Carmelite homily for Saturday, January 18, 2020 – Lectionary 310

In today’s Gospel we have the call of Levi (or Matthew).  Jesus is walking by the tax-collecting post and sees him and says, “Come follow me.”  And Levi does.  And invites everybody over to his house for a banquet in honor of this, and in honor of Jesus.  And what is the reaction of the crowds, especially the scribes?  They complain.  How this man is a sinner; he’s a tax-collector.  The people around here are sinners.  This is a great blessing and all they see are the problems.  John of the Cross says, “It is great wisdom to know how to be silent; look at neither the remarks nor the deeds nor the lives of others.”  That is very difficult advice, very needed advice.  That day at the customs-station, the tax-collectors station, and today.  But I think John is right: it is great wisdom to be silent. 

Carmelite homily for Saturday, December 14, 2019 – Lectionary 693

Today we celebrate the feast of a great one – Saint John of the Cross – Carmelite, mystic, spiritual writer, Doctor of the Church.  There’s so much to say.  But his best known quotation may say it all.  He writes, “At the evening of life you will be examined in love.”  I think of all his teachings writings, everything, his poetry, his commentaries, everything can be summarized by that one line.  And hopefully our lives can be summarized by that one line.  Because it’s a true line: “At the evening of life you will be examined in love.”  Happy Feast of Saint John of the Cross.

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, November 26, 2019 – Lectionary 504

Note: This post is a rerun from Sunday, November 17th, since the Gospel passage, Luke 21:5-11, is the same passage for today.

In today’s Gospel we some super-heavy-duty and scary end of the world scenarios where nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there’ll be earthquakes and plagues and omens in the sky and people will arrest you and haul you before judges.  And Jesus says “do not be terrified.”  I think John of the Cross says the same thing.  He says, “If the whole world should crumble and come to an end and all things go wrong, endure all with tranquility and with peaceful equanimity.”  Why?  Because it’s all in God’s hands.  No matter what happens – today, in your life, in the world, at the end of the world – endure all with tranquility and peaceful equanimity.  Great advice.